Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources recognized the department’s student award and scholarship recipients at a ceremony on April 15, 2025.
A full photo gallery of all of the scholarship and award winners is available on the FNR Facebook page.
Academic merit awards are given to a sophomore, junior and senior within each major who has the highest academic achievement (cumulative GPA). Each major also selects one individual for its leadership award, typically a senior who has been exemplary within their major or the department as a whole.
Each major also puts forth a nominee for the Stanley Coulter Leadership Award, which recognizes the department’s outstanding student leader. It carries the name of Stanley Coulter, former Dean of Science, who initiated Purdue’s forestry program in 1914. Mr. John Sample and other early forestry graduates established the Coulter Fund in honor of Dean Coulter, and to recognize the achievements of students in Forestry and Natural Resources. The winner of this award has demonstrated strong leadership and
responsible citizenship in activities at the department, school, university, and community level.
The 2024-25 Stanley Coulter Leadership Award winner is Celia Parton. Celia is graduating at the end of the semester and will continue her work with USDA APHIS Wildlife Services this summer, conducting biosecurity assessments on poultry farms to help reduce the spread of avian influenza. Over the past year, she has conducted independent research assessing Indiana’s landscape for potential fisher habitat with Dr. Pat Zollner and Geriann Albers, worked on the Indiana DNR flight crew collecting infrared aerial imagery and served as the 2024-2025 president of the Purdue Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society.
Parton also received the Wildlife Leadership Award.
The FNR faculty presents a trio of research and engagement awards.
The L. David Mech Award Distinguished Undergraduate Research Award is named in honor of Dr. L. David Mech, recipient of a PhD in wildlife ecology from Purdue in 1962. Dr. Mech, a research biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is the world’s foremost authority on wolf ecology. In 1995, Dr. Mech was named a Distinguished Alumni of the Purdue University College of Agriculture. He was also a recipient of the Aldo Leopold Award, the highest honor bestowed by The Wildlife Society.
This award was established by the faculty in wildlife to recognize a senior who has, by virtue of contributions
made independently or in conjunction with ongoing studies, shown the greatest potential for future success as a research scientist. Selection is based on the student’s curiosity, intellect, perseverance, problem solving, and communication skills.
The 2024-25 honoree of the Distinguished Undergraduate Research Award is Gabby Dennis, a senior in wildlife Gabby is a wildlife senior, plans to take a gap year and work as a field technician across the country. After graduation, she will start working as a crew lead studying Saltmarsh Sparrows with the University of New Hampshire. After her gap year, she will pursue a master’s degree studying ornithology.
Alyssa “Allie” Johnson received the Undergraduate Research Award, which recognizes an undergraduate who, by virtue of contributions made independently or in conjunction with ongoing studies, shows the great potential for future success as a research scientist. Allie is graduating at the end of the
semester and is taking a gap semester before pursuing graduate school. Their current research investigates how forever chemicals impact amphibian disease systems, and their future research will be centered at understanding the human dimensions of conservation issues. Currently, they work as a teaching assistant for Natural Resource Statistics and serve as the president of FNR Student Council.
Allie also received the Wildlife Academic Merit Award for a senior.
Leah Griffin received the FNR Undergraduate Engagement Award, which recognizes a senior who has demonstrated excellence in engagement and has shown the greatest potential for fulfilling the extension and research components of the Land Grant Mission. Leah is graduating at the end of the semester with a
bachelor's degree in forestry. She has served as the president of the Student Chapter of Environmental Education club, and, following graduation, she hopes to find a job working with the public and promoting environmental education.
Leah also was recognized as the Forestry Academic Merit award honoree and as the FNR Outstanding Senior Award recipient.
FNR recognizes a freshman, sophomore, junior, senior and transfer as outstanding students, awards which are given to the most outstanding student in each class as demonstrated by educational accomplishment, research, community service, student organization involvement and leadership, and involvement at the department, college, or university level.
- FNR Outstanding Freshman: Ethan Enochian - Ethan is a freshman in aquatic sciences and has aspirations of introducing large-scale aquaponics to the western United States to reduce water usage in the region significantly. He has lived in Chicago all his life until college.
- FNR Outstanding Sophomore: Lydia Pultorak – Lydia is a sophomore in wildlife with minors in aquatic sciences and forest ecosystems. She will be attending FNR's wildlife Summer Practicum this summer and will be interning with the Terre Haute Parks Department after practicum.
- FNR Outstanding Junior: Elena Boughton - Elena is a junior in wildlife, with minors in forest
ecosystems and aquatic sciences. On campus, she works for graduate student Emma Johnson as part of the Indiana DNR Flight Crew and serves as a student researcher in Dr. Esteban Fernandez-Juricic's avian ecology lab. Elena is also involved in Dr. Barny Dunning's songbird banding lab and co-leads the Purdue Northern Saw-whet Owl Banding Station. Her current research focuses on occupancy modeling of the endangered Least Bell's Vireo in Southern California, under the guidance of Dr. Patrick Zollner and Dr. Kai-Yin Lin. This summer, Elena will serve as a TA for FNR’s 5-week wildlife Summer Practicum in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. After practicum, she plans to work on a project for Dr. Zollner examining wildlife densities and the risk of poultry exposure to avian influenza. After graduation, Elena hopes to attend graduate school and pursue a career in songbird conservation and habitat management. - FNR Outstanding Senior: Leah Griffin. Leah also was recognized as the Forestry Academic Merit award honoree and received the FNR Undergraduate Engagement Award.
- FNR Outstanding Transfer: Emma Johnson - Emma graduated from the wildlife program last semester and is now continuing her research as an FNR graduate student. Her research is a continuation of her undergrad work with aviation techniques in wildlife, but is now focused on using aircrafts with Infrared sensors to estimate state-wide densities of deer, coyote, and turkey.
Aquatic Science Awards
Senior Leadership Award: Kendall Schaefer. Kendall is graduating at the end of the semester and will be pursuing a career as an aquatic biologist for Aquatic Control. She's grateful to all the friends and colleagues she's met this past year and is excited for this new chapter.
Sophomore Academic Merit Award: Kylie Robinson. Kylie has a concentration in marine and freshwater biology. She is also on the pre-veterinary track. She aspires to be an aquatic veterinarian.
Junior Academic Merit Award: Austin Mygrant. Austin will be applying to be a conservation officer after graduation.
Senior Academic Merit Award: Alexis Snook. Alexis will be graduating this year and has accepted an internship in Charleston, South Carolina, through the Dewees Island Conservancy. She will be doing education and outreach as well as sea turtle nest research.
Forestry Awards
Leadership Award: Dylan Tridle. Dylan will be graduating in May and continuing on to the master's program here at Purdue. His current research is focused on butternut canker disease and its relationship with butternut and its hybrids with Japanese walnut.
Sophomore Academic Merit Award: Samantha Elsner. Samantha is pursuing a degree in forestry biometrics
and statistics. She also is interested in high impact understory invasive shrubs.
Junior Academic Merit Award: Caleb Martin. Caleb has minors in environmental engineering and urban forestry. He is a member of the Purdue Outing Club and plays in a local band. He aspires to work in a forest research setting.
Senior Academic Merit Award: Leah Griffin. Leah also received the FNR Outstanding Senior Award and the Undergraduate Engagement Award.
Wildlife Awards
R.K. Swihart Undergraduate Wildlife Leadership Award: Celia Parton. Celia also received the Stanley Coulter Leadership Award.
Sophomore Academic Merit Award: Roman Nester. Roman is minoring in entomology. He will be working as
an environmental educator at Wesselman Woods this summer in Evansville, Indiana. Thought uncertain of a set career path, his primary considerations are in land, wildlife and botanical conservation management, native plant horticulture, wildlife rehabilitation, traveling seasonal research, wildlife photography and environmental education.
Junior Academic Merit Award: Elena Boughton also received FNR’s Outstanding Junior Award.
Senior Academic Merit Award: Alyssa Johnson. Allie also received the FNR Undergraduate Research Award.
An Outstanding Camper Award is presented to students in aquatic sciences, forestry and wildlife and are determined by student vote at Summer Practicum. Selection is based on leadership, scholarship and the ability to get along with others in the camp setting and field work.
- Outstanding Aquatic Sciences Camper Award: Brant Helman. Brand is graduating at the end of the semester. He will then pursue his work in fish hatcheries or build experience related to this field of work.
- Outstanding Forestry Camper Award: Brad Royer. Bradley is a 30-year-old undergrad in forestry and very thankful for this opportunity, both of this award and to just have the chance to be an undergrad for the first time. Bradley currently works as a consultant in forestry and will continue to do so after graduation in spring of next year.
- B. Dunning Outstanding Wildlife Camper Award: Samantha Hallett. Samantha is a senior in wildlife participating in undergraduate research under Dr. Fernandez-Juricic, studying avian visual ecology.
In addition to the academic merit, outstanding camper and leadership awards, the wildlife major also gives out four other awards: the Durward Allen Memorial Award, the Kirkpatrick Memorial Graduate Student Award, the L. David Mech Distinguished Undergraduate Research Award (see above) and the William A. Rafferty Award.
Durward Allen Memorial Award
Durward Allen was a distinguished member of the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources and internationally recognized as one of the nation’s leading wildlife authorities. In honor of Dr. Allen, this award is presented to an outstanding junior majoring in Wildlife.
The 2024-25 honoree of the Durward Allen Memorial Award is Liam Doski. Liam is a junior majoring in wildlife with a minor in aquatic sciences. He is serving as a teaching assistant for this year’s Summer Practicum. He is also conducting research in Dr. Pat Zollner's lab, collaborating with the DNR to study the influence of weather patterns on river otter trapping success.
Kirkpatrick Memorial Graduate Student Award
This award was established by the widow and two daughters of Charles Kirkpatrick. The recipient must be a
wildlife graduate student within one year of graduation (either before or after).
The 2024-25 honoree of the Kirkpatrick Memorial Graduate Student Award is Jong Yoon Jeon. Jong Yoon is a PhD candidate in Dr. Andrew DeWoody's Lab, focusing on conservation genomics and molecular ecology. His dissertation integrates interdisciplinary research on endangered vertebrates with the aim of advancing approaches for conservation assessment.
William A. Rafferty Award
William A. Rafferty was a friend of Purdue University’s College of Agriculture who operated a large farm near Morocco, Indiana. Rafferty believed in the ideals of honor, integrity, and patriotism. To commemorate William A. Rafferty, this award was established to recognize the potential for citizenship and leadership in a senior
Wildlife student.
The 2024-25 recipient of the William A. Rafferty Award is Hannah Kramer. Hannah is a senior in wildlife graduating this May. She will be doing education and outreach work with a local nature center in Columbus, Ohio, this summer. This fall, Hannah plans to pursue a master’s degree focusing on emergency management and disaster resilience. On campus, Hannah is involved as an Ag Ambassador and FNR Ambassador.
Other Awards
Mallory Wagner was honored with the Great Lakes Research Award, which is presented to an undergraduate student enrolled in an FNR major and conducting research focused on the Laurentian Great Lakes. The initial contribution for the award was made in the name of Dr. Tom Lauer, who earned his PhD
from the department and focused his career on university education and Lake Michigan ecological research.
Mallory is a junior in aquatic sciences currently researching the abundance and growth rates of larval yellow perch in Lake Michigan. In addition to her research, Mallory is also an officer for Purdue's student chapter of the American Fisheries Society, a technician at the Aquaculture Research Lab, and an ambassador for both FNR and the College of Agriculture.
The Indiana Arborist Association’s Ramsey Award is given to a Purdue student who has a professional interest in some aspect of urban forestry. The award, which is given to students who have completed their sophomore year and are in good academic standing, is named in honor of Paul Ramsey, who was an
outstanding professional arborist in Indiana
Forest Summerfield, a senior in forestry with a concentration in urban forestry, is the 2024-25 recipient of the Ramsey Award. Forest is graduating at the end of this semester and will pursue a master's degree here at Purdue. His primary research interest is urban tree physiology.
Ankita Mitra was recognized for her selection as the College of Agriculture's Excellence in Teaching Award recipient for graduate students. Ankita is currently a PhD scholar and a lead instructor in Quantitative Forest Ecology, while doing research in the Forest Advanced Computing and Artificial Intelligence (FACAI) lab with a focus on forest modeling using machine learning models. In addition to her research, she is actively involved with the Science-i platform, that fosters global collaboration in
environmental research by connecting data contributors with researchers to advance scientific discovery. Ankita has accrued over six years of research experience in forest ecology, conducting studies in the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute of Panama and in the coastal mangrove forests of the Indian Sundarbans. She has published several scientific papers in national and international journals, including a book chapter, covering diverse areas in ecological science and climate change, particularly focusing on carbon sequestration potential. She actively participates in national and international climate change conferences and earned the Young Scientist Award in 2016 in India at one of the national conferences. She is also passionate to community-based participatory research and worked with local farmers in the Indian Sundarbans to understand their environmental challenges and has organized local awareness programs on climate change.
FNR Poster Competition
Each spring, FNR hosts a poster competition and presents awards in the categories of graduate research, undergraduate research and graduation extension. The award winners from the April 11, 2025, event are listed below.
Graduate Research:
- First place: Jemuel Doctolero for his poster on “Production and Nutritional Composition of Chlorella Vulgaris and Lettuce as a Function of Tilapia Stocking Density in a Decoupled Aquaponic System”
- Second place: Andrew Todd for his poster on “Bioaccumulation, Biotransformation, & Ecological Impacts of Two Biosolids-Associated PFAS Precursors in Simulated Farm Pond Communities”
- Third place: Elisabeth Joll for her poster “Host-Specific Canopy Spectral Responses to Spotted Lanternfly Infestation”
- Honorable Mention: Yunmei Huang for her poster “Tree Species Identification Using Explainable AI and Multi-modal Techniques”
Graduate Extension:
- First place: Francis Asare for his poster “Scaling Sustainable Biochar Markets in Ghana through Farmer Engagement and Field Trials”
- Second place: Jean Fritz Saint Preux for his poster on Maple Syrup Cooperatives in North America”
- Third place: Izzy Paulsen for her poster “Crayfish in the Classroom: Learning without Invading”
Undergraduate research:
- First place: Autumn Hall and Jack Burian for their poster on the “Analysis of Structural and Spatial Heterogeneity in a Lake Malaren Food Web through Stable Isotopes”
- Second place: Katie Buckles and Mallory Wagner for their poster on “Diet analysis of larval yellow perch from Lake Michigan and connected tributary habitats”
- Third place: Alexandra Early for her poster “Biodiversity Changes Due to Fire Disturbance and its Impacts on Mesocarnivore Presence in Indiana”
- Honorable mention: Hannah Kaluf for her poster “Too Much of a Good Thing: Methods to Reduce Aggressive Native Goldenrods in Conservation Plantings.”
Undergraduate Extension:
- First place: Ava Hale for her poster “Beyond the Books, The Educational Potential of Animals in Schools”
Alumni Awards
The department also honored its six alumni and career award recipients.
- Chase S. Osborn Award for Wildlife Conservation: Dr. Joe Robb
- Chase S. Osborn Early Career Award for Wildlife Conservation: Dr. Zackary Delisle
- FNR Lifetime Achievement Award: Betty Jane “BJ” Meadows and Dr. John Kershaw
- FNR Distinguished Alumni Award: Dr. Jacob Goheen
- FNR Outstanding Young Alumni Award: Dr. Ken Kellner
